The present invention relates to a rack and a block for housing and storing dosimeters. The dosimeter is a portable device carried by a worker entering into a restricted radiation area in a nuclear power plant and the like.
A rack for housing dosimeters is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-167055. As shown in FIG. 10, a rack 11 has a rectangular shape, and a large number of entries 15 are arranged in horizontal and vertical directions for inserting the dosimeters. A dosimeter 13 is inserted through the entry and housed in a housing space. Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-332830 has disclosed a rack 19 as shown in FIG. 11, in which a large number of entries 17 are arranged for receiving the dosimeters (not shown).
The conventional racks for housing the dosimeters as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 2003-167055 and No. 10-332830 have a problem as follows. The number of the dosimeters to be housed in the rack may vary, for example, from 10 to 200 corresponding to the number of the dosimeters for service. Accordingly, the rack needs to have various shapes, for example, horizontally or vertically prolonged shapes, corresponding to a location of installation. As a result, it is necessary to design and manufacture a new rack every time to store the desired number of the dosimeters and the installation location, thereby increasing cost for design and manufacture.
In view of the problem described above, the present invention has been made, and an object of the invention is to provide a block and a rack for housing dosimeters that is suited to the number of dosimeters for service and an installation location of the rack, and that can be manufactured at low cost.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.